Business owners across the globe have expressed their frustration following significant outages experienced by major E-commerce platform Shopify on Cyber Monday, known as one of the peak online retail days of the year.
Beginning around 9 a.m. ET, thousands of Shopify stores reported issues with logging into their accounts. Social media users quickly labeled the situation as “embarrassing.” In a statement on X, the company acknowledged the problem, stating, “We’re aware of an issue with Admins impacting selected stores, and are working to resolve it. For the most up-to-date information, please refer to our status page at http://shopifystatus.com. Thank you for your patience.”
At the height of the outage around 11 a.m. ET, more than 4,000 retailers were reportedly impacted, according to Downdetector.com. Shopify, a Canadian firm, is recognized as one of the largest independent E-commerce platforms globally, serving over five million customers and processing nearly $300 billion in transactions in 2024, as reported by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.
Though Shopify is generally praised for its user-friendly approach, enabling small businesses to establish and manage online stores, it also caters to major corporations, including Nestlé, PepsiCo, Kraft, Heinz, Whole Foods, and Red Bull. However, many users expressed dissatisfaction with the service disruption, especially given the timing on Cyber Monday—a day filled with significant discounts and promotions.
One user criticized the incident, saying, “Shopify going down on Cyber Monday has got to be one of the biggest fails of the year.” Another echoed their frustration, stating, “How embarrassing @Shopify has been down all morning on literally the biggest sales day of the year for online shops, specifically SMALL BUSINESSES. They should refund EVERYONE’s fees this month.” A third business owner shared their concern, emphasizing that over two hours of downtime on such a critical day could be detrimental to those relying on the platform to edit prices and manage their products.
As Shopify continues to address the outage, the Independent has reached out for updates on the situation and potential underlying causes. This incident highlights the critical role technology plays in retail, emphasizing the need for robust infrastructure to support businesses, particularly during high traffic periods.